In an update to the ‘‘vertebrate pest animal management policy’’ to be considered at next week’s council meeting, cane toads have been added to a list of 10 bothersome animals in Wollongong.

They join a menagerie including deer, rabbits, wild dogs, wild cats, foxes, carp, feral pigs, feral goats and the common myna bird.  However, only deer, rabbits and Indian myna birds are considered ‘‘priority pests’’, meaning there’s not likely to be a major campaign to eradicate cane toads soon.

According to a report to councillors, the cane toad addition ‘‘reflects the emergence of a breeding population of cane toads at Taren Point in Sutherland Shire’’.

‘‘The inclusion of cane toads allows Council to develop a pest management plan to guide the management of this pest if it occurs in the Wollongong Local Government Area,’’ the report said. 

According to a National Parks and Wildlife Services spokeswoman, who spoke to Illawarra rangers on Tuesday, there were no known problem cane toad populations in the region.

However, in a report released last year, James Cook University researchers found that crocodiles, cane toads and the mosquito-borne dengue virus may start cropping up in more southerly regions of Australia as the tropics expanded due to the effects climate change.

The pests have also been spotted in suburban gardens in Woonona and Lake Illawarra in the past two years.

Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said it was important to recognise various pests in the region, but noted the council had to be realistic about its budget constraints.

‘‘The reason why cane toads are spreading so far south is because of climate change and we do need to be proactive in this space,’’ he said.

‘‘However you can identify these problems, but the reality is that doing anything about them – and having the resources and funds to hold the tide back – is another thing.’’

The council currently spends $105,000 a year on pest control.